Jurassic scorpionflies (Mecoptera) with swollen first metatarsal segments suggesting sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism is widespread in insects. The certain specialized structures may be used as weapons in male-male combats or as ornaments to enhance mating opportunities. We report striking swollen first tarsal segments in two families, four genera and six species of scorpionflies from the Middle J...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC ecology and evolution 2021-03, Vol.21 (1), p.47-21, Article 47
Main Authors: Zhang, Yan-Jie, Shih, Peter J M, Wang, Jun-You, McNamara, Maria E, Shih, Chungkun, Ren, Dong, Gao, Tai-Ping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
Animals
Biota
Camouflage
China
Dimorphism (Biology)
Fossil insect
Genera
Habitus
Holcorpidae
Humans
Insects
Jurassic
Male
Mating
Mecoptera
Mesozoic
Metatarsal Bones
Metatarsus
Nuptial gift
Orthophlebiidae
Phylogeny
Physiological aspects
Sex Characteristics
Sexual dimorphism
Species
Species Specificity
Structure
Tarsal swelling
Zoological research
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Summary:Sexual dimorphism is widespread in insects. The certain specialized structures may be used as weapons in male-male combats or as ornaments to enhance mating opportunities. We report striking swollen first tarsal segments in two families, four genera and six species of scorpionflies from the Middle Jurassic Yanliao Biota of Northeastern China. Swollen tarsal segments are restricted to male specimens and to hind leg tarsi. The geometric morphometric analyses reveal that the degree of swelling within the orthophlebiid species possessing swollen first metatarsal segments is species-specific, which can be used as a diagnostic character for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies. The new findings indicate that swollen first metatarsal segments are relatively common in the family Orthophlebiidae during the Middle Jurassic. The tarsal swellings are considered to be sexually dimorphic, potentially associated with sexually display by males and/or camouflage of a "nuptial gift" in the mating process.
ISSN:2730-7182
2730-7182
DOI:10.1186/s12862-021-01771-3